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Michigan Supreme Court
The highest court in Michigan. Who sits on it, how they got there and how long their terms run.
Michigan methodHow justices are chosenPolitical parties nominate candidates, then voters choose in a general election where no party label appears on the ballot.
8 yearsTerm length
7Sitting justices
1805Founded
No public decision data available for this court. There is no free, consistently coded source of how each state justice votes in cases, so this site doesn't score state judges.
Justices
Megan Cavanagh
Chief Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 1, 2019
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Richard Bernstein
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 1, 2015
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Kyra Harris Bolden
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 1, 2023
Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Noah Hood
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: May 21, 2025
Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Kimberly Thomas
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 1, 2025
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Elizabeth Welch
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 1, 2021
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Brian Zahra
Justice
Party as listed: Republican
Took office: 2011
Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Source: Ballotpedia, Michigan Supreme Court (retrieved Oct 26, 2026). “Party as listed” is Ballotpedia’s label; many state justices are officially nonpartisan. Photos from each justice’s Ballotpedia page (or Wikimedia Commons where Ballotpedia has none). Click a name for a short profile.